Coming Out Polish Style

$19.99 – $250.00

“Coming Out Polish Style” (“Coming out po polsku”) was directed by Slawomir Grünberg & Katka Reszke, who first began documenting gay and lesbian life in Poland in 2008, in their short documentary “Coming out in Poland” produced for PBS television. In 2010, they addressed transgender issues in “Trans-Action” (HBO Poland) – the story of Anna Grodzka who was recently elected to the Polish Parliament.

“Coming Out Polish Style” offers a rare look into the lives of gays and lesbians in contemporary Poland. The film explores the issue of gay and lesbian rights in a conservative society, which is undergoing a very dynamic transformation, allowing for more and more successful liberal changes. The documentary focuses on the diverse and complex identity struggles involved in the process of 'coming out'. It profiles both celebrities who are openly gay in Poland, as well as young people from small towns who are still in the process of 'coming out'.

There may be as many as 2 million gays and lesbians living in today's Poland. However, the majority of them are still 'in the closet'. During the past severals years, a number of Polish celebrities, among them artists and journalists have come out as homosexuals. For some, being gay or lesbian no longer causes 'a problem'. Despite a general change in attitudes, regular young people who decide to 'come out' on the most part go through a painful process, which often involves discrimination, rejection or contempt. Despite existing signs of homophobia, young Polish gays and lesbians are finding more and more friendly clubs to attend, and there is a determined core of activists pushing for gay rights at the national level. In 2010, Warsaw hosted the largest European Gay Pride Parade – EUROPRIDE. Thousands of gays and lesbians, as well as their supporters, marched the streets of Warsaw and received more applause and cheers from the general public than insults or anti-slogans from counter-demonstrators. The spirit of change is becoming more and more visible in today's Poland.

Coming Out Polish Style features several characters who share their intimate experiences of 'coming out' as gays or lesbians and of the dramas and joys involved in the process of becoming true to oneself and finding integrity in the world.